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Herb Trimpe
| birth_place = Peekskill, New York | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = American | cartoonist = | write = y | pencil = y | ink = y | letter = | color = | alias = | alma Mater = Empire State College | notable works = Hulk, Wolverine Defenders | awards = Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, 2002 Inkpot Award, 2002 | website = http://www.herbtrimpe.com | subcat = American }} Herbert William "Herb" Trimpe Full name per (May 26, 1939 – April 13, 2015) was an American comic book artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout star of the X-Men. Herb Trimpe, The First Person To Draw Wolverine, Has Passed Away Early life Herb Trimpe was born May 26, 1939, in Peekskill, New York, Additional WebCitation archive, October 7, 2010. where he graduated from Lakeland High School. His brother, Mike Trimpe, inked an Ant-Man story that Trimpe pencilled in Marvel Feature #6 (Nov. 1972).Hembeck, Fred, entry, Of his childhood art and comics influences, he said in 2002, "I really loved the Disney stuff, Donald Duck and characters like that. Funny-animal stuff, that was kind of my favorite, and I liked to draw that kind of thing. And I also liked ... Plastic Man. ... I loved comics since I was a little kid, but I was actually more interested in syndicating a comic strip than working in comics."Trimpe interviewed July 2002, in As well, "I was a really big fan of EC comics and artist Jack Davis." Career Trimpe commuted to New York City for three years to attend the School of Visual Arts. There, Trimpe recalled in 2002, instructor and longtime comics artist Tom Gill needed a student "to ink his backgrounds and stuff. So that's how I started, at Dell [Comics], doing mostly Westerns and also licensed books, like the adaptation of the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth." Trimpe then enlisted in the United States Air Force "for four years," he recalled in 1997, "the standard enlistment time, from 1962 to 1966. I was a weatherman, and our unit was on loan, you might say, to the Army. We supplied aviation weather support to the First Air Cavalry Division based in the central highlands in Viet Nam. They used helicopters extensively to move troops around."Trimpe interview, Green Skin's Grab Bag, p. 2 Upon his discharge in October 1966, he learned that fellow SVA classmate John Verpoorten was working at Marvel Comics' production department, and His joining the Marvel production staff was announced in the "Bullpen Bulletins" of Marvel comics cover-dated June 1967, such as Fantastic Four #63. He remained associated with the company through 1996. While operating the Photostat camera in the Marvel offices, Trimpe did freelance inking for Marvel, and made his professional penciling debut with two Kid Colt Western stories, in Kid Colt, Outlaw #134–135 (May and July 1967). Shortly thereafter, Trimpe and writer Gary Friedrich created Marvel's World War I aviator hero the Phantom Eagle in Marvel Super-Heroes #16 (Sept. 1968). Hulk and the Silver Age of Comics In the 1960s, during the period known as the Silver Age of Comics, Trimpe was assigned to pencil what became his signature character, the Hulk. Beginning with pencil-finishes over Marie Severin layouts in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #106 (Aug. 1968), he went on to draw the character for a virtually unbroken run of over seven years, through issue #142 (Aug. 1971), then again from #145–193 (Nov. 1971 – Nov. 1975). Additionally, Trimpe penciled the covers of five Hulk annuals (1969, 1971–72, 1976–77, titled King-Size Special! The Incredible Hulk except for #4, The Incredible Hulk Special), and both penciled and inked the 39-page feature story of The Incredible Hulk Annual #12 (Aug. 1983). Under the Marvel Method of writer-artist collaboration, Trimpe, like other Marvel artists of the time, was uncredited co-plotter of most of his stories, a working arrangement Trimpe said he enjoyed. Among the characters co-created by Trimpe during his run on the title were Jim Wilson in issue #131 (Sept. 1970)Sanderson, Peter "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 146: "This issue #131 saw the introduction of Jim Wilson, a character created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Herb Trimpe" and Doc Samson in #141 (July 1971).Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 150: "Created by Roy Thomas and artist Herb Trimpe, Dr. Leonard Samson was a psychiatrist...who irradiated himself with gamma rays and transformed into a super-strong being." During his time on the comic, he became the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who would go on to become one of Marvel's most popular. The character, designed by Marvel de facto art director John Romita, Sr., was an antagonist for the Hulk, introduced in the last panel of The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #180 (Oct. 1974) and making his first full appearance the following issue.Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 167: "Len Wein wrote and Herb Trimpe drew Wolverine's cameo appearance in The Incredible Hulk #180 and his premiere in issue #181." Trimpe in 2009 said he "distinctly remembers" Romita's sketch, and that, "The way I see it, and writer [[Len Wein]] sewed the monster together and I shocked it to life! ... It was just one of those secondary or tertiary characters, actually, that we were using in that particular book with no particular notion of it going anywhere. We did characters in The Incredible Hulk all the time that were in particular issues and that was the end of them." Trimpe co-created nearly all of the characters introduced during his run on The Incredible Hulk, with Wolverine being a rare exception. He said that he devised the military unit the Hulkbusters, which became a regular element of The Incredible Hulk: Trimpe also had a year's run on The Defenders (#69–81, March 1979 – March 1980), a superhero-team comic featuring the Hulk. He also drew the cover, featuring the Hulk, of the 1971 issue of Rolling Stone containing a major profile of Marvel Comics.Green, Robin. "Face Front! Clap Your Hands, You're on the Winning Team!", Rolling Stone #91, September 16, 1971, via "Green Skin's Grab-Bag" (fan site) ( ) The artist in 2002 recalled a less-than-smooth start to his Hulk tenure: "I did, like, three or four pages, and Stan Lee saw them and made Frank Giacoia do the layouts Trimpe's fourth issue, #109, Nov. 1968. It wasn't my storytelling, there was a good flow there, but it was too like EC [Comics] for Stan. I loved EC, the dark atmosphere and clean lines of it. . . . But it wasn't right for Marvel." Other Marvel work in Manhattan, November 2008.]] As a Marvel mainstay, Trimpe would draw nearly every starring character, including Captain America (Captain America #184 and 291), the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four Annual #25–26, 1982–1983; Fantastic Four Unlimited #1–12, March 1993 – Dec. 1995), Iron Man (Iron Man #39, 82–85, and 93–94 in the 1970s, plus occasional others), Ka-Zar (Astonishing Tales #7–8, Aug. and Oct. 1971), Nick Fury (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #13–15, July–Nov. 1969), Thor (Thor Annual #15–16, 1990–1991), Ant-Man (Marvel Feature #4–6), Killraven (Amazing Adventures #20–24, #33), Rawhide Kid, Spider-Man, and many more as the regular artist of Marvel Team-Up #106–118 (June 1981 – June 1982) and Marvel Team-Up Annual #3–4 (1980–1981). As the artist of Super-Villain Team-Up, Trimpe co-created the Shroud with writer Steve Englehart.Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 175: "Writer Steve Englehart and artist Herb Trimpe created the Shroud, a blind vigilante with mystical abilities, in Super-Villain Team-Up #5." Captain Britain was introduced by Chris Claremont and Trimpe in an ongoing series published by Marvel UK.Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 176: "Writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe created a new super-hero specifically for Marvel's readers in the United Kingdom." In 1976, Trimpe was one of the inkers of Captain America's Bicentennial Battles, an oversized treasury-format one-shot written and penciled by Jack Kirby. Trimpe drew Marvel Treasury Edition #25 (1980) "Spider-Man vs. the Hulk at the Winter Olympics" which featured a story set at the 1980 Winter Olympics by writers Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, and Bill Mantlo. Jack Kirby's Machine Man character was revived in a 1984 limited series drawn by Trimpe.DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 219: "Machine Man was a living robot who was relaunched in 1984 by Tom DeFalco, Herb Trimpe, and Barry Windsor-Smith." In the late 1970s and 1980s, Trimpe's Marvel work included licensed movie and TV franchises. He drew all but issues #4–5 of the 24-issue Godzilla (Aug. 1977 – July 1979);Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 180: "In August 1977, Marvel produced comics featuring the most famous monster in Japanese cinema, Godzilla, in a series by writer Doug Moench and penciller Herb Trimpe." drew all but one of the 20-issue Shogun Warriors;Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 188: "Writer Doug Moench and artist Herb Trimpe created Shogun Warriors, a Marvel comics series based on a line of Japanese toys imported by Mattel." six issues of The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones (also writing the last two); G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1 (July 1982) and other issues;DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 207 nearly the entire run of the 28-issue spin-off G.I. Joe Special Missions (1986–1989); three of the four-issue miniseries G.I. Joe: The Order of Battle (1986–1987); and three issues of The Transformers. Trimpe, in a 1997 interview, described his Marvel arrangement: "I was a quota artist, which was non-contractual but I received a salary. I got a regular two-week check, and anything I did over quota I could voucher for as freelance income. I also had the extras, the company benefits. It was like a regular job, but I worked at home. It was a good deal." 1990s onward When Marvel went bankrupt in the mid-1990s, Trimpe attended Empire State College, Hudson Valley Center, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Arts in 1997. He went on to a master's degree program at SUNY New Paltz. Beginning September 8, 1999, he taught art for two years at Eldred Central School in Sullivan County, New York. Additional WebCitation archive, January 8, 2011. Trimpe penciled BPRD: The War on Frogs (Aug. 2008) for Dark Horse Comics, and returned to his signature character by drawing the eight-page story "The Death and Life of the Abomination" in Marvel's King-Size Hulk #1 (July 2008). In December 2009, Trimpe, a Bugatti airplane enthusiast and member of the Bugatti Aircraft Association, published the eight-page comic book Firehawks, in which the Bugatti 100P plays a major role. (Requires scrolldown) This was followed by a second Firehawks comic, the 24-page "Firehawks 2 – Breath of the Dragon". Personal life Sometime between 1969 and 1971, Trimpe was divorced from his first wife, with whom he has one daughter.Green, Rolling Stone: "He's been through a lot of changes in the last two years, including a divorce. His old lady now is Linda Fite, who used to work at Marvel." In late 1972, Trimpe married Marvel Comics editorial assistant and writer Linda Fite,Their wedding was announced in Bullpen Bulletins in Marvel Comics cover-dated March 1973 and on sale two to three months earlier, with production two to three months before that: "Four or Five Phenomenal Flashes, Fitfully Fashioned to Fight Lethargy (Or: Those Wedding Bells Are Waking Up That Old Gang of Mine)". with whom he had three children. He later was married to Patricia, who survived him after his death. Trimpe's son, Alexander Spurlock "Alex" Trimpe,Name per birth announcement in Bullpen Bulletins: "Just Thomas and Lee—and the Soapbox Makes Three" in Marvel Comics cover-dated January 1974, including Ka-Zar #1. who co-pencilled RoboCop #11 (Jan. 1991), The Mighty Thor Annual #16 (1991), and Fantastic Four Unlimited #3 (Sept. 1993) with his father, is a member of the band The Chief Smiles. Trimpe's daughters Amelia Fite Trimpe"Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel comics cover-dated January 1976. and Sarah Trimpe were also in that band.Archive of , HerbTrimpe.com Late in life, Trimpe lived in Kerhonkson, New York,Archive of WhitePages.com listing November 3, 2011. and afterward Hurley, New York. Trimpe was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of New York on May 30, 1992. Trimpe died on April 13, 2015, aged 75. Awards * Nomination, Shazam Award for Best Inker (Humor Division), 1973 * Won the 2002 "The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his work as a chaplain at the World Trade Center site following the September 11 attacks.Trimpe in Andreasen: "I was especially touched by the Humanitarian award, because being involved with the World Trade Center was probably the most intense and privileged experience I have even gone through, in a sense of actually being involved at a level with something that did some good." * Inkpot Award, 2002 Bibliography Big Apple Productions * Big Apple Comix #1 (1975) Dark Horse Comics * B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs #1 (2008) Dell Comics * Four Color #1213 (Mysterious Island) (inker) (1962) IDW Publishing * G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Annual #1 (2012) * Hundred Penny Press: G.I. Joe: Real American Hero #1 (2011) Image Comics * Savage Dragon #156 (alternate cover) (2010) * Savage Dragon #200 (backup story) (2014) Marvel Comics * Amazing Adventures #20–24, 33 (Killraven) (1973–1975) * The Amazing Spider-Man: Double Trouble #2 (1993) * Astonishing Tales #7–8 (Ka-Zar) (1971) * Avengers #333, Annual #6, 19, 21 (1976–1991) * Avengers West Coast #75, 83 (1991–1992) * Bizarre Adventures #31 (1982) * Captain America #184, 291 (1975–1984) * Chamber of Darkness #2 (inker) (1969) * Creatures on the Loose #11 (1971) * Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Annual #1 (1974) * Defenders #68–81 (1979–1980) * The Draft #1 (1988) * Fantastic Four Annual #25–26 (1992–1993) * Fantastic Four Unlimited #1–7, 9–12 (1993–1995) * Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #15–18, 23–24 (1984) * G.I. Joe a Real American Hero #1, 3–4, 6–8, 50, 99, 119 (1982–1991) * G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1–4 (1986–1987) * G.I. Joe Special Missions #1–21, 23–26, 28 (1986–1989) * G.I. Joe Yearbook #4 (1988) * Ghost Rider #7 (inker) (1967) * Ghost Rider vol. 2 #60 (1981) * Godzilla #1–3, 6–24 (1977–1979) * Guardians of the Galaxy #28, Annual #2 (1992) * Heroes for Hope Starring the X-Men #1 (1985) * The Incredible Hulk #106–142, 145–193, 204, 355, 393, Annual #6, 12, 16 (1968–1992) * Iron Man #39, 82–85, 93–94, 113, 199, 246, 251–252, 255 (1971–1990) * Kid Colt Outlaw #134–135, 138–139 (1967–1968) * Machine Man #1–3 (1984) * Marvel Comics Presents #45 (1990) * Marvel Feature #4–6 (Ant Man) (1972) * Marvel Preview #13 ("The UFO Connection") (1978) * Marvel Spotlight #12–13 (Son of Satan) (1973–1974) * Marvel Super-Heroes #16 (Phantom Eagle) (1968) * Marvel Super-Heroes #9 (the Avengers) (inker) (1992) * Marvel Tales #131–133 (1981) * Marvel Team-Up #106–118, Annual #3–4 (1981–1982) * Marvel Treasury Edition #25 (Spider-Man and the Hulk) (1980) * Marvel Treasury Special Captain America's Bicentennial Battles (co-inker) (1976) * Marvel Two-in-One #9, 14 (1975–1976) * The 'Nam #49–51, 75 (1990–1992) * NFL SuperPro #8–9 (1992) * Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #8, 13–15 (1969) * Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. vol. 2 #16–19 (1990–1991) * Outlaw Kid #2 (1970) * Planet of the Apes #21, 26–28 (1976–1977) * The Rampaging Hulk #8 (1978) * Rawhide Kid #60, 62, 64, 67 (inker) (1967–1968) * Rawhide Kid' #1–4 (1985) * Robocop #11 (1991) * Robotix #1 (writer/artist) (1986) * Savage Tales vol. 2 #1–4 (writer/artist) (1985–1986) * Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #92 (1971) * Shogun Warriors #1–14, 16–20 (1979–1980) * Silver Surfer #18 (inker) (1970) * The Spectacular Spider-Man #97–99 (1984–1985) * Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1–2, 5 (1986–1987) * Spoof #3, 5 (inker) (1973) * Star Wars #17 (1978) * Starblast #1–2 (1994) * Strange Tales #157–160 (Doctor Strange) (inker) (1967) * Super-Villain Team-Up #4–7 (1976) * Tales to Astonish #94–98 (the Hulk) (inker) (1967) * Thor #329, 336, 410, 415, 426, 431, Annual #15–16 (1983–1991) * Transformers #11–12, 20 (1985–1986) * Two-Gun Kid #89 (1967) * U.S. 1 #1–2 (1983) * War is Hell #13, 15 (1975) * What If...? #2, 14, 23, 26 (1977–1981) * X-Men #42 (inker); Annual #16 (1968–1992) Western Publishing * Boris Karloff Thriller #2 (inker) (1963) Trading Cards * Dinosaurs Attack (Penciller) (Topps, 1988) References External links * * Herb Trimpe at Mike's Amazing World of Comics * Herb Trimpe at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators * * Herb Trimpe's Hulk fan site * Category:1939 births Category:American comics artists Category:American comics writers Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War Category:Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winners Category:2015 deaths Category:People from Peekskill, New York Category:School of Visual Arts alumni Category:State University of New York at New Paltz alumni Category:United States Air Force personnel __FORCETOC__